2 WESTERN LEADER, NOVEMBER 25, 2010
LETTERS
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Mail: Western Leader, PO Box
21-167, Henderson
Fax: 837-1760
Email: edwl@snl.co.nz.
Enthusiasm
It is with interest I have read recent
letters expressing concerns on the
choice of elected members for the
Henderson Massey Board.
While it is true that there is a
significant gap in ages between the
majority of board members and myself,
there is a vast amount of combined
experience which I believe will ensure
that our local board is well equipped to
meet the high aspirations of our
community.
I have been impressed with
assistance from our recently elected
chair, and in particular, the council
staff who have helped me in my new
role.
In any team, you will have a blend of
old and new, with talents and
strengths for various backgrounds.
As the newly elected representative
on this board, I ll bring those new
ideas, a fresh perspective and the
enthusiasm to represent the com-
munity from a younger generational
perspective.
I will perhaps look at things in a
different way from some of the more
established members, and that s okay.
One of the frustrating aspects about
politics is that you will never get an
elected organisation that pleases
everyone, however, ultimately this is a
result of the votes cast on election day.
The people of West Auckland have
voted in this board, and I expect to
work constructively with whomever I
share those responsibilities with.
Tracy Kirkley
Henderson Massey Board member
Te Atatu South
Rates increase
Ratepayers in the former Waitakere
city will be aware that the General
Rate Step 1, which appears on their
rates assessment invoice, is based on
the land value of their property.
Although proposals have been made
in the past by some members of the
council to base this charge on the
capital value of each property (land
plus improvements) -- which other
councils in Auckland were already
doing -- the Waitakere City Council
decided not to introduce this change
which would have resulted in a
considerable increase in rates.
Now that we are all part of the
Auckland Council, ratepayers in west
Auckland will be treated no differently
than the rest of the Auckland region --
nor should they be.
However, this may not be the only
factor that will cause a rates increase
in the former Waitakere city next year
-- the three-yearly QV Rating
Valuation is now due along with any
increase the Auckland Council decides
upon when setting the 2011/2012 rates
for the region.
Ratepayers in west Auckland should
be made very aware of the potential
triple whammy rates increase they
could face next year. Gerard McDade
Henderson
Wong's ethics
The chorus of abuse of Pansy Wong is
slightly overdone. She shouldn t be so
castigated for her lapse in ethics. From
her years in politics she should have
known better.
She must have noticed the
procession of her fellow National MPs
caught slurping in the parliamentary
trough.
But if they were all at it, small
wonder she dived in, also.
Pansy s entrepreneurial episode
apparently happened around 2008,
concurrent with ex-MP Dr Worth who
was cavorting around India with fellow
MP Tim Groser indulging in non-
altruistic, non-parliamentary
activities.
Even if her Tory friends were
indulging in such parliamentary
peccadilloes they might have warned
her about any such delinquencies
earlier on.
Particularly the prime minister who
selected her as a minister.
The public is continually informed of
how tough he is with such MPs
activities but what was he doing all
this time, two to three years ago?
He seems to close the door after the
villains have bolted with the spoils.
J Friel
New Lynn
Road plantings
I hope with the advent of the new
supercity we will cease the planting of
the inevitable cabbage trees,
lancewoods and the uninspiring native
grasses on roundabouts and other
verges.
Nicky Foster
Avondale
Street rubbish
It is most frustrating while driving
around the streets of Henderson at the
amount of rubbish cluttering outside
our houses.
The thought comes to me if every
householder went out daily and
gathered the bits and pieces, we could
be known as the super cleanest city of
Auckland.
Barry MacDonald
Henderson
Missing money
At the local body conference in July,
the then mayor of North Shore city
Andrew Williams in his address
pointed out that over a period of time
the Auckland region paid to central
government about $7 billion and in
return we received $3b for transport-
related investment.
Why should Auckland carry the rest
of the country, central government
should have returned at least $6b of
our own money for transport-related
investment.
Sad to say the Auckland MPs do not
seem to defend Auckland s interests
and we will therefore always have to
go cap in hand to central government
for money.
One day the Auckland public will
wake up and organise an Auckland
Party -- if it is good enough for Act and
the Maori Party to represent special
interests, why not have a party to look
out for Auckland s interests.
Johann Nordberg
Te Atatu South